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The Arabian Nights
A twelve-member cast enacts Scheherazade's tales of love, lust, comedy, and dreams. Scheherazade's cliffhanger stories prevent her husband, the cruel ruler Shahryar, from murdering her, and after 1,001 nights, Shahryar is cured of his madness, and Scheherazade returns to her family. This adaptation offers a wonderful blend of the lesser-known tales from Arabian Nights with the recurring theme of how the magic of storytelling holds the power to change people. The final scene brings the audience back to a modern day Baghdad with the wail of air raid sirens threatening the rich culture and history that are embodied by these tales.
176 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2003
3 people are currently reading
166 people want to read
About the author
Mary Zimmerman
18 books35 followersMary Zimmerman is an American theatre director and playwright.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 21 reviews
October 13, 2023
my ancestors are rolling in their graves and so will I
March 20, 2018
It's amazing when you can read a screenplay and it comes to life before your eyes. Zimmerman has crafted a play that elevates this collection of traditional stories into an event. I haven't been able to see this version performed live, but would jump at the chance.
Zimmerman deftly weaves storytelling with words as well as dance and song. Some of the scene choreography sounded exciting as actors stride through the audience. I can imagine being in this audience would feel as if I'm sitting right there as Scheherazade tells her tales.
As a short story writer, Zimmerman's style opened my eyes to the range possible in play writing.
Zimmerman deftly weaves storytelling with words as well as dance and song. Some of the scene choreography sounded exciting as actors stride through the audience. I can imagine being in this audience would feel as if I'm sitting right there as Scheherazade tells her tales.
As a short story writer, Zimmerman's style opened my eyes to the range possible in play writing.
October 29, 2015
Another play I would kill to do. Because of the organic, seamless marriage of acting, dance and music, the play would need a dedicated ensemble of actor/musician/dancers who would be in a true collaboration with the director. As reading material, it has wit and poetry within an easily discernible framework.
Love this.
Love this.
November 14, 2021
I’m a theatre person. It’s impossible to estimate how many shows I’ve seen over the years. And out of all those, the original production of this play, which I saw at Chicago’s Remains Theatre, is the single greatest theatrical experience of my life. After about three hours, I was leaning forward, knowing the show was almost done but wishing it would go on all night—exactly as the king does in the play itself.
Ms. Zimmerman has an innate sense of theatricality. I’ve been watching her work since an early-‘90s production of Stoppard’s “Hapgood” (a friend was her assistant director for that), and she understands the roots and bones of what makes theatre distinct from every other form. There is narration, a chorus, live music, intense movement work (all hail the skills of the Lookingglass ensemble), beautiful language and imagery, clever stagecraft—it all works. Reading the play brought it all back for me, and she does an excellent job making the living play leap off the living page.
There are limitations of course (no block of text can capture the beauty of Jenny Bacon’s performance of the Learned the Wise segment, perhaps my favorite moment in the production), but those limitations again reveal the unique power of live performance. Reading a play will always be a second-best experience, but when the first-best experience was so good, second-best is still very good indeed.
Ms. Zimmerman has an innate sense of theatricality. I’ve been watching her work since an early-‘90s production of Stoppard’s “Hapgood” (a friend was her assistant director for that), and she understands the roots and bones of what makes theatre distinct from every other form. There is narration, a chorus, live music, intense movement work (all hail the skills of the Lookingglass ensemble), beautiful language and imagery, clever stagecraft—it all works. Reading the play brought it all back for me, and she does an excellent job making the living play leap off the living page.
There are limitations of course (no block of text can capture the beauty of Jenny Bacon’s performance of the Learned the Wise segment, perhaps my favorite moment in the production), but those limitations again reveal the unique power of live performance. Reading a play will always be a second-best experience, but when the first-best experience was so good, second-best is still very good indeed.
November 22, 2019
Mary Zimmerman, renowned national playwright, does it again with her adaptation of '1001 Arabian Nights'.
The story is of Scheherezade, a beautiful young woman, who takes her sister's place, to save her from an emotionally distraught king by telling him elaborate stories night after night.
Though the show doesn't feature all 1001 tales, it does feature some that you may be less familiar with. The stories are told by 20 ensemble performers and combines music, dance, song and creative storytelling.
An excellent resource for dramaturgs, adults looking to revisit the tales, storytellers wishing to read aloud some very creative dialogue and and be swept away by the magic of Arabian Nights.
The story is of Scheherezade, a beautiful young woman, who takes her sister's place, to save her from an emotionally distraught king by telling him elaborate stories night after night.
Though the show doesn't feature all 1001 tales, it does feature some that you may be less familiar with. The stories are told by 20 ensemble performers and combines music, dance, song and creative storytelling.
An excellent resource for dramaturgs, adults looking to revisit the tales, storytellers wishing to read aloud some very creative dialogue and and be swept away by the magic of Arabian Nights.
October 8, 2024
Oh my god I want to see this done live
July 5, 2025
To Zimmerman! Who distills epics into accessible plays!
July 19, 2011
This is a brilliant stage adaptation of a well-loved collection of stories. Interestingly, I appear to have forgotten (or never noticed as a child) the sheer bawdiness of some of these stories. Just proof, I suppose, of Scheherezade's observation that "to the pure and clean all things are pure and clean" (Act I, "The Perfidy of Wives," p. 39).
I could well imagine reading this play for any number of reasons: (1) sheer enjoyment (as was my excuse), (2) because one is engaged in performing it, or (3) for a class in either playwriting, or a literature class focused on translations or cross-cultural studies. Either way, it's a short and enjoyable read, and I very much hope to see it performed at some point.
What's esp. useful about Zimmerman's adaptation is not just the text itself, but also the fact that she provides both advice and examples of some of the improvization actors can employ in "The Wonderful Bag." She also offers suggestions regarding casting, staging, and photos. While some audience members may be put off by the infusion of air-raid sirens (clearly references to modern military operations in Baghdad) as parallels to the wind blowing across the landscape with which the tales close, just as many will appreciate the opportunity to interpret its meaning without being told what to think or being brow-beaten with its implications.
I could well imagine reading this play for any number of reasons: (1) sheer enjoyment (as was my excuse), (2) because one is engaged in performing it, or (3) for a class in either playwriting, or a literature class focused on translations or cross-cultural studies. Either way, it's a short and enjoyable read, and I very much hope to see it performed at some point.
What's esp. useful about Zimmerman's adaptation is not just the text itself, but also the fact that she provides both advice and examples of some of the improvization actors can employ in "The Wonderful Bag." She also offers suggestions regarding casting, staging, and photos. While some audience members may be put off by the infusion of air-raid sirens (clearly references to modern military operations in Baghdad) as parallels to the wind blowing across the landscape with which the tales close, just as many will appreciate the opportunity to interpret its meaning without being told what to think or being brow-beaten with its implications.
February 6, 2014
I performed this play during high school and I must say...this is so influential. It's...phenomenal. The fact that it breaks this fairy tale that the actors created to cut in at the end with sounds of air sirens and bombs coming down to symbolize the stripping of the people in Baghdad's culture and the fact that the Arabian people were people too. They had their own stories. And JUST WHEN EVERYTHING IS SO WELL bombs start falling and everyone EVERYONE DIES. Oh my goodness. Such a great story. Great adaptation of the book, I am so honored to have been part of this play. Beautiful.
June 16, 2012
It was pretty good. I went and saw this at BYU and they had edited it a little because some parts of it are......well.........sensual. So I was glad they took them out. Productions Company (that includes me now!! :)) is doing this play in January at Hillcrest. I'm hoping that Mr. Long handles those parts well...Other than that, it was really good!! I'm very excited!!
April 26, 2015
This adaptation of The Arabian Night is slick and skillfull, choosing unexpected stories to include, staging things in new and fascinating ways, and bringing a joyous humanity to all the characters. Yet another example of Zimmerman's theatrical genius.
December 13, 2008
To only read the play is to miss the whole thing. Berkeley Rep has the play on right now- absolutely breathtaking- and funny as hell!! See my review of the play at http://www.sfstation.com/the-arabian-...
June 10, 2015
This play is amazing. I preformed in it in October 2014, and could not have had a better time. There were places where I couldn't stop myself from laughing, and other places where I couldn't help but cry. I highly recommend this.
November 6, 2015
This was a great script. I honestly enjoyed the story so much. I think that this would be so great to watch performed, but reading it did get a little confusing. In general, it was amazing. Mary Zimmerman can not seem to disappoint.
January 20, 2012
This was just ok...it might be better in production (as plays usually are), but it made all the stories about sex without explaining or justifying that choice. Made for a bizarre reading experience.
February 27, 2013
I hated this. It was so boring. I'm not one for poetic plays, though.
December 20, 2021
Read it in college, read it again to remind myself what very well crafted and image-based adaptation looks like
March 20, 2014
I just couldn't get into this book. It is too much of a children's novel for me. Some of it was good, but for the most part it was just too simple for me to read.
September 2, 2012
I'd rather see this being played out as it was a dizzying read.
November 1, 2018
Fluid to a fault with a dreamy surprise on every page and a chaotic finale that manages to wrap everything in a horrifyingly neat little bow.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 21 reviews